Personal Finance

I'm 42 and single - I've been able to save over $3 million for retirement but now I'm struggling to find motivation

Christy Bieber

Published: March 12, 2025 6:52 pm

A 42-year-old Reddit user with over $3 million saved is struggling to find the motivation to keep working.

According to a recent post he made, he’s burned out at his job, hasn’t taken more than a few week’s vacation for the last 20 years, and is considering trying to find a partner and have kids but isn’t sure if that’s the right path or how doing so could affect his finances. 

So, how can the Redditor decide on his best path forward and make the most of the money he’s saved so far to begin enjoying life?

A $3 million nest egg is a good start to a secure future — and it provides financial flexibility

With $3 million invested at 42, the Redditor is clearly already on the path to financial security. At a safe 3.7% withdrawal rate, his investment account would already produce $111k in annual income per year. 

Now, if he lives in a high-cost-of-living area or is planning to settle down and have kids, an annual income of $111K probably isn’t enough to stop working entirely. Since he’s saved a lot of money at a young age, he’s likely earning much more than that now and may not want to absorb a big cut in income — especially since retiring at 42 would mean he’d have decades of health insurance to pay for before becoming eligible for Medicare. 

However, having $3 million invested does mean he can stop working so hard at his career. His $3 million could grow on its own to over $6.43 million in eight years, assuming a 10% average annual return, even if he never invested another dollar. That would be enough to provide him with $237,910 in annual income if he retired at the very young age of 50. 

Given that he doesn’t need to be so aggressive in saving, he could explore options for going part-time now, changing to a less stressful job, or doing some consulting work instead of working full-time for his current employer.

As long as he makes enough to cover his current income needs and leaves his money to keep growing, he’d still be on the path to complete financial independence at an age much younger than most. 

Cutting back on work could help with his burnout, give him the opportunity to focus on finding a partner and having a family, and help him stick it out at his job for long enough that he can retire without any financial worries. 

Talking to a financial advisor could be helpful

Talking to a financial advisor could be a good move for the Redditor as he figures out his next move. A financial advisor could provide insight into how much he needs to save for a comfortable future, could help him decide when he can stop working with the money he needs, and can help him figure out the minimum income that he needs to earn to keep his wealth growing while cutting back to a less stressful position. 

Since the Redditor has a very good start toward financial independence, getting some professional advice could help him to ensure that the money moves he makes now help him keep growing his wealth and allow him to enjoy life– especially if he follows through with his plan to find a partner and become a dad, which could bring changes to his financial situation that he’ll want to prepare for.